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Of Mice and Men is a story following two men and their adventure in achieving the ‘American Dream’ which is owning their proper ranch. However, along their journey in accomplishing that dream, they must overcome certain obstacles and learn the truth about what it means to be human while encountering friends and foes.
The author of Mice and Men, John Steinbeck, was born on February 27, 1902, in Salinas, California. During his early years, he lived a comfortable life with his family. He also worked at a ranch, which gave him the images used in Of Mice and Men. He also experienced the time of the great depression, which was the time during Of Mice and Men. This gave him the vision and idea of writing Of Mice and Men.
The purpose of this novel is to illustrate about what it means to be human. Isolation is one of many themes in the novel and the author illustrates it well in the novel. The relationship between a female character and the men in the story represents the theme isolation well. Also, the relationship between a coloured man and the rest of the characters also represents this theme very well.
Overall, this a very good read if you’re interested in the perspective that the author has on humans.
- @newtricksterx of the Teen Review Board at the Hamilton Public Library

John Steinbeck’s Of Mice and Men follows two farm workers Lennie and George who travel from farm to farm looking for work during the Great Depression. George is a smart man while Lennie is mentally disabled. However, they both dream of having their own farm to live on, and consequently develop a close friendship because of their shared dream. The book is a gripping read as George and Lennie have to overcome many difficult obstacles on their way to owning a farm. Lennie’s mental disability and extreme strength get the two friends into trouble when he breaks their employer’s hand in a confrontation. Additionally, the Great Depression in the United States makes it almost impossible for them to buy a farm. Nevertheless George and Lennie try to accomplish their dream despite the challenges and George often consoles Lennie when he is stressed by recounting stories of the cute bunnies they will grow on their farm. Their resilient friendship makes the story emotional at times and the book as a whole is a very enjoyable read.
-@CookieMonster of The Hamilton Public Library's Teen Review Board

I like easy reads and this is one - a very short novel. However, I find the dialogues to be too 'rustic' for my liking. Still, the story is interesting. I think the film versions (there are two) are more entertaining.

This is very emotional throughout the book. The bonding through dreams, the let downs when problems arise with Curly and his wife and the solution that George faces pulls on everyone's emotional heart strings.

Two men seek jobs during the Great Depression. Both have challenges. Throughout the story their friendship strengthens until one gets into trouble. This book is one of my favorites because it shows how strong friendship can be. - Franchesca, Teen Volunteer

This book was amazing. Very tough, a lot of language but amazing. I loved the story from chapter 1 and all the characters were interesting.
You'll cry so so much at the end, I don't want to give anything away, but it is the saddest book ever. Simply amazing though.
Though I am in grade 8, I'd say this book is good for ages 16 to 1000
Very mature teens of younger ages (like me) would love this too. If you get the story, you'll love the story!

This book was very interesting to read because of the setting (back then) and the detail put into the book. The book really left me thinking whenever death occurred. It was hard to understand why it happened to the characters and the reactions the people had were kind of disappointing.

(Only in jest, of course) - But, if you ask me - I think that this short novel (only 106 pages), which John Steinbeck wrote in 1937, would have been more appropriately titled - "Of Rabbits, Puppies, Mice and Men".

Like, I don't know exactly how many times either the word "rabbits" or "puppies" came up in the story, but, I'll bet you that it came pretty close to being about 100 times. It's true.

And - Yeah. Yeah. - I know full-well that "Of Mice and Men" is considered by many to be an undisputed classic of 20th Century literature - But, with that said - Let me tell ya - I tried and tried, as I read along, to warm up to the 2 main characters in this tale - But, time and again, I found myself feeling pretty blase' about these 2 drifters and the situation that inevitably escalated around them.

Now, don't get me wrong here - I didn't hate "Of Mice and Men". No, I didn't. But, in all honesty, the best grading that I could come up with for this 80-year-old story was just an average 2.5-star rating (which really isn't so bad.... Is it?)

“Just like heaven. Ever’body wants a little piece of lan’. I read plenty of books out here. Nobody never gets to heaven, and nobody gets no land. It’s just in their head. They’re all the time talkin’ about it, but it’s jus’ in their head.”

"There is a path through the willows and among the sycamores, a path beaten hard by boys coming down from the ranches to swim in the deep pool, and beaten hard by tramps who come wearily down from the highway in the evening to jungle-up near water."

I got you to look after me, and you got me to look after you, and that's why.

black_penguin_254
Jan 24, 2014

"Guys like us, that work on ranches, are the loneliest guys in the world. They got no family. They don’t belong no place. . . . With us it ain’t like that. We got a future. We got somebody to talk to that gives a damn about us. We don’t have to sit in no bar room blowin’ in our jack jus’ because we got no place else to go. If them other guys gets in jail they can rot for all anybody gives a damn. But not us."

The compelling story of two outsiders striving to find their place in an unforgiving world. Drifters in search of work, George and his simple-minded friend Lennie have nothing in the world except each other and a dream.

black_penguin_254
Jan 24, 2014

Two migrant workers, George and Lennie, have been let off a bus miles away from the California farm where they are due to start work. George is a small, dark man with “sharp, strong features.” Lennie, his companion, is his opposite, a giant of a man with a “shapeless” face. Overcome with thirst, the two stop in a clearing by a pool and decide to camp for the night. As the two converse, it becomes clear that Lennie has a mild mental disability, and is deeply devoted to George and dependent upon him for protection and guidance. George finds that Lennie, who loves petting soft things but often accidentally kills them, has been carrying and stroking a dead mouse. George angrily throws it away, fearing that Lennie might catch a disease from the dead animal. George complains loudly that his life would be easier without having to care for Lennie, but the reader senses that their friendship and devotion is mutual. He and Lennie share a dream of buying their own piece of land, farming it, and, much to Lennie’s delight, keeping rabbits. George ends the night by treating Lennie to the story he often tells him about what life will be like in such an idyllic place.The next day, the men report to the nearby ranch. George, fearing how the boss will react to Lennie, insists that he’ll do all the talking. He lies, explaining that they travel together because they are cousins and that a horse kicked Lennie in the head when he was a child. They are hired. They meet Candy, an old “swamper,” or handyman, with a missing hand and an ancient dog, and Curley, the boss’s mean-spirited son. Curley is newly married, possessive of his flirtatious wife, and full of jealous suspicion. Once George and Lennie are alone in the bunkhouse, Curley’s wife appears and flirts with them. Lennie thinks she is “purty,” but George, sensing the trouble that could come from tangling with this woman and her husband, warns Lennie to stay away from her. Soon, the ranch-hands return from the fields for lunch, and George and Lennie meet Slim, the skilled mule driver who wields great authority on the ranch. Slim comments on the rarity of friendship like that between George and Lennie. Carlson, another ranch-hand, suggests that since Slim’s dog has just given birth, they should offer a puppy to Candy and shoot Candy’s old, good-for-nothing dog.

RainbowMunchkin
May 24, 2013

George Milton and Lennie small have been friends for a long time. Lennie acts like a child.George and Lennie move from place to place looking to find new jobs... There is a conflict between a few people in the book, and in the end George has to make a decision that will be life changing and truly upseting.